White Savior or Local Hero?: Conflicting Narratives of Help in Haiti

Abstract

White Savior or Local Hero?:Conflicting Narratives of Help in Haiti Diane M. Hoffman (bio) In 2010, Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake that killed over two hundred thousand people and resulted in a vast but ultimately ineffective international humanitarian aid and relief effort. This article considers how the recent August 2021 earthquake has produced a shift in the rescue and assistance narrative that has emphasized the trope of Haitian agency when responding to hardship and disasters. Based on a critical reading of Facebook posts, online news media, and organization websites, this piece argues that while the current shift toward emphasizing themes of Haitian agency and empowerment appears to be a positive trend, a deeper reading suggests that Haitian notions of help and solidarity conflict with the neoliberal understanding of empowerment. Furthermore, narratives about assistance prioritize emotions of white missionaries and aid workers, revealing the persistence of White Saviorism in representations of Haitian agency. Introduction One of the most devastating natural disasters in the Western Hemisphere, the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti which affected Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas unleashed a globally unprecedented level of humanitarian assistance. Nonetheless, the response to the disaster is widely regarded as a manifest failure. Billions of dollars were funneled through approximately two thousand nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private contractors, creating a fragmented response that lacked accountability.1 An astoundingly small portion of this aid actually reached the Haitian government and people.2 Furthermore, there was no infrastructure to absorb the sudden influx of supplies and personnel, and needs were defined largely without input from those most affected—indeed, the entire aid apparatus largely excluded Haitian voices and involvement.3 Thousands of young American volunteers, armed with little but good intentions, descended on the capital to "help," straining what were already stressed resources.4 Instead of highlighting Haitians' own rescue and assistance efforts, extensive news coverage of the disaster prominently featured actions of Americans and Europeans,5 reinforcing the sense that Haiti was incapable of helping itself. Eleven years later, the response to the August 2021 earthquake in Southern Haiti was palpably different. Prime Minister Ariel Henry told news media, "We will not repeat the same things that were done in 2010 … A lot of donations were made to the country, and a lot of money was spent without seeing the impact."6 Recognizing that Haiti-based organizations were better positioned to conduct needs assessments and allocate aid, Haitian and Haiti-affiliated diaspora groups, celebrities, and academics sent strong messages on social media platforms and various professional list-serves recommending that would-be donors give to local, Haiti-based organizations rather than to large international relief organizations.7 Further, would-be donors were advised not to send physical resources, but to support the local economy by providing funds for resources to be bought locally.8 Organizations told foreign volunteers to stay home; teams of trained Haitians were instead sent into remote areas to deliver relief. White [End Page 99] missionaries and NGO staff living in Haiti filled social media with comments praising the presence of Haitian relief workers on the scene: "I love to see Haitians helping Haitians!"; "Helping in the South—let's start a movement as we post pictures of Haitians working together!"; "I love to see Haitians so passionately serving one another!"9 In sum, a broad consensus emerged that the response to the recent disaster should prioritize Haitian resources, voices, and agency. This effort to represent Haitians as actors capable of addressing their own needs can be read as a shift in the longstanding narrative of Haitian dependency. Instead of representing the country as dependent on handouts and help from foreigners, recent post-disaster narratives reflect a theme that scholars of international aid in Haiti have been pointing out for some time: the way media and policymakers consistently emphasize the role of foreign actors, initiatives, and resources obscures the fact that Haitians have always helped themselves through strong traditions of collective community responses to hardship and disaster.10 This was as true in 2010 as it was after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which also devastated the southern part of the country.11 As these scholars have pointed out, understanding Haitian traditions...